


The Impossible Girl

by misakikinomoto



Series: The Star-Child Universe [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Its basically a lot of fun and games, Minimally, Multi, Not really Bad Albus Dumbledore, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Torture, Recovery, Ron Weasley Bashing, This one isn't dark, but like, for now, more pairings will be added, restructuring of the whole series tbh, the entire harry potter ensemble, trigger warning, who sends a kid to save the damn world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2020-07-23 04:15:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20002162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misakikinomoto/pseuds/misakikinomoto
Summary: Astrid Arundell-Black wasn't the spineless woman the wizarding world expected her to be. She refused to let Fudge walk all over her, and had proved herself ten times over. But she misses her husband, she wishes she could protect her children from the manipulations of Albus Dumbledore.Seren Arundell-Black is a spitfire of a girl, reminiscent of her aunt, Lily Potter. She was the very image of her mother, but she had the prankster spirit of her uncle James Potter and her father Sirius Black.Remus Lupin never quite stopped loving Astrid. After all, how could he ever fathom the possibility of looking away?Harry just wants to play Quidditch and loves his family and his friends.----The sequel to Flowers of Flesh, Blood and Stardust, following the Arundell kids from Harry's first year at Hogwarts.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! 
> 
> Wow, its almost been a year since I posted the previous fic and completed it!
> 
> The first part had been a work in progress since my undergrad (4-5 years?) and this one didn't start that long ago? Maybe 3 years or so ago?
> 
> The original plan was to have a sequel with snippets of the whole gang on their way to happiness but that was a bit difficult to write and I kept losing my place in the time line. At the time, I was already writing what was then supposed to be the third part, following Seren's life, and decided to fuse the two. 
> 
> I hope you like this as much as the first part. If you haven't read that, please do give it a try. If you are worried about the earlier fic triggering you in any way, feel free to skip it, I think you might be able to follow this fic on it's own, but the character development would seem a bit off (maybe).
> 
> This one is less sad, and a little more fun!
> 
> Let me know what you guys think!

_ Sirius tugged on his jacket lightly as he walked from the apparition point to the Weasley household. James and Lily would be arriving soon and Remus was busy with some mission he had received immediately after their graduation. _

_ The entire gang had joined the Order immediately after they left Hogwarts. None of them had managed to attend a meeting yet, so Sirius still hadn’t been able to see Astrid or Seren. He had wanted to see them, but he had been in London, looking for a place. He had even contacted Isolde to help him in secret, to work out how to invest the money his uncle Alphrad had left him. _

_ Isolde had found his attempt at growing up admirable, and had even helped him find a flat that could be baby-proofed for Seren. _

_ He had been ecstatic to find out that Seren had finally left the bubble, but wanted to have a place to bring her to before he met her and Astrid. _

_ Finally, he could see the Burrow and slipped into the gate. _

_ “Oh Sirius!” said a motherly voice, and Sirius smiled charmingly at the red haired, plump woman. _

_ “Hey Molly,” he said, letting her hug him tightly. She looked tired, and Sirius had no doubt that having so many children and twins that had just come out had everything to do with it. _

_ “Lunch is just getting put out, why don’t you go say hi to everyone.” _

_ Sirius nodded, and entered the house. Three kids were running around in the field behind the house. _

_ “Sirius!” called a voice and Sirius felt his heart skip a beat as he looked to his left and saw Astrid. She looked more free, her hair cut short and curled slight so it was wavy. _

_ She looked like she was one of the fae. _

_ Sirius couldn’t help it, he felt his lips stretch into a smile. _

_ “Astrid,” he said, running his hands through his hair. _

_ Astrid ran up to him and jumped into his arms, and Sirius immediately wrapped his arms around her, twirling her around. _

_ “I missed you,” said Astrid, softly. “I didn’t want to, I was still angry, but I missed you.” _

_ “I missed you too,” said Sirius softly, in her ear. “I didn’t deserve to, and I’m sorry about everything. All of it.” _

_ “I know,” she said. “I think I needed time away from you to forgive you. You were wrong and you hurt me, but you grew up. So did I.” _

_ Sirius buried his face in her curls and whispered, “Thank you.” _

_ “Did we miss something,” came James’ loud voice, amused and joyous. “I want to join the hug too!” _

_ “James!” Lily said, reproachfully and whacked him on the arm. Astrid pulled away from Sirius with a watery smile before launching herself on them. James laughed brightly winking at Sirius, who just glared back.  _

_ Lily, meanwhile, burst into tears as she hugged her best friend. _

_ It was a reunion that had been a year in the making. _

_ “Where’s Remus?” asked Astrid, as she pulled away from the two. _

_ “He got a mission the minute we graduated. He said he’ll try to come here to meet you and Seren once.” _

_ “Oh my god!” said Lily, with a gasp. “Is she here?” _

_ “Yeah, she’s with Alice and Frank right now,” said Astrid, a proud look on her face as she looked to Sirius. _

_ No matter how they had gotten here, no matter how the child came to be, they had made something- someone- amazing.  _

_ And regardless of all the echoes of pain from their past, regardless of the whispers of the horrible things they had said to each other before, they couldn’t deny how this beautiful child linked them together forever. _

_ They found, regardless of everything, that they really didn’t mind it at all. _

* * *

_ Regulus sighed, staring at the paperwork in front of him as he sipped on his coffee. He was seated in a small coffee shop in London, looking through the document Isolde and Astrid had given him.  _

_ He had been surprised and honoured when Isolde approached him to form and run their muggle business. It had been Astrid’s idea, but Astrid was already busy with the business in the wizarding world, so she was just going to be the co-founder and the business was to be his baby. _

_ “What would your order be, sir?” said a female voice, snapping him out of his thoughts. _

_ “Oh sorry,” he said, smiling up at the waitress. “Um, a black coffee with some honey and...some finger sandwiches.” _

_ The girl smiled at him and nodded, writing it down, and Regulus watched her leave. It had taken a lot of work on his end to be a muggle with ease and now he was genuinely enjoying it. _

_ There was something about not being able to depend on magic. It freed him in a way. Magic was reliable and had been a part of his life for so long that it had been...tainted, in a way, by his mother and her fanaticism. _

_ He sighed softly, looking at his papers again, running his hand through his hair. _

_ “I’m going to have to cut this soon,” he mumbled to himself. _

_ “I hope not,” said the waitress, having come back with his coffee, a roguish but shy smile on her face. “A lot of the girls here find you quite dashing with that hair.” _

_ “And you?” Regulus asked, a smile on his lips. He hadn’t done this for a while, unsure of doing this with muggles. _

_ “I’m far more interested in finishing med school, to be honest,” she said, with a grin. “Though I would have to say, I would agree with them if I had the time to stare at you with stars in my eyes.” _

_ Regulus couldn’t help it. He laughed. _

_ “Well, let me know when you finish med school then,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “I happen to be on the lookout for some doctors or medical researchers.” _

_ “Oh?” she said, tilting her head slightly in curiosity. _

_ “Setting up a pharmaceutical company, actually. Astrid and I are good at the managerial bits but neither of us are trained in medicine,” he said. And that was true. Neither of them were muggle medical professionals. _

_ “Sounds interesting,” she said, cautiously. “But wouldn’t you want someone...more experienced?” _

_ “I usually go with my gut,” he said, with an easy shrug. “I’m sure you won’t let me down. Take my card. Let me know if you’re interested in it when you graduate.” _

_ “Yeah,” she said, faintly. “Yeah thanks. I’m Jen- short for Jennifer.” _

_ “Regulus,” he said, shaking her hand gently. “Regulus Black. I have a good feeling about this, Jen. This is going to be a great partnership.” _

* * *

_ James was lazing around on Sirius’ couch, watching Lily play with Seren. Astrid’s feet were placed on his lap as she read her book. _

_ “I can’t wait for Remus to be back! Life has been so boring since we got separated!” whined James loudly, hoping to get some attention from either girl. _

_ “Are you implying that the three of us don’t take up enough of your time?” Astrid asked, smirking slightly. _

_ “Ignore him,” said Lily, grinning at Astrid. “He hates it.” _

_ “I thought you two loved me!” _

_ Astrid shook her head in amusement, moving to play with Seren as well. _

_ James just smiled goofily at Astrid, though she didn’t notice. All of them were so proud that she had come this far. _

_ It was amazing to see her so carefree and happy. It was like they were seeing a completely different Astrid- one that was no longer worried about letting people in, one who showed her affection as she felt it. Astrid had told him last night, as they watched the Weasley kids run around, Seren in her arms, that she had gone to a therapist every day in the hope that she would get fixed. _

_ And then one day, she realized that she didn’t need to be  _ _ fixed _ _. What had happened was a part of her, yes, but it didn’t define her. She could be whoever she wanted to be, she was a metaphorical blank slate. _

_ It had taken her a lot of time to feel what she theoretically and logically knew. But no one could take that away from her now. _

_ Sirius came back into the room, bottle in hand. “This too warm, Astrid?” he asked, a quiet sort of nervousness in his voice. Astrid put her book aside and reached up, and then shook her head. _

_ “It’s perfect,” she said, sweetly. “Why don’t you feed her?” _

_ Sirius started shaking his head, the fear of dropping her clear in his eyes. Astrid, however, simply plucked her daughter from Lily’s hands and placed the child in Sirius’s arm. _

_ “Like this,” she said softly, arranging his arms gently to support Seren’s head. There was a wonder in Sirius’s eyes that broke James’ heart. _

_ “She won’t break if you touch her,” said Astrid, soft and gentle, like she understood and knew what it was like. _

_ Sirius took the seat next to James, cradling Seren reverently and feeding her. Astrid looked at Lily and smiled, a small and sad thing that said so much more than she could ever put into words. _

**I’ve given up on running away. All roads lead back to him.**

_ It was something that Lily herself had said to Astrid over a quiet New Year’s dinner-after Lily had told her that she was dating James now. And oh, how difficult it was to look away from their boys. _

_ It had taken them a long time to get here but they had gotten here all the same. Perhaps love- because regardless of her not having said it, she loved James- had made her loopy and she magically started believing in fate. She couldn’t deny it though- it was clear that people that were meant to be together would find their way to each other eventually. She hadn’t actually looked at James and seen him, till the day he had looked Astrid straight in the eyes and stepped up to do what his best friend was in no state to do himself. _

_ And now, Astrid was looking at Sirius with the same look in her eyes that Lily had today- a look that Lily had to admit was not something she hadn’t seen before, it wasn’t new- which meant that Astrid had seen Sirius long, long ago. _

_ Lily couldn’t help it- she stood and wrapped her arms around Astrid, who patted her arm gently, like she didn’t need to ask to know why. _

* * *

_ “So,” said Lily, conversationally as she padded around Astrid’s room, pulling her clothes out of her bag. They had decided that they would have a lady’s night, just the two of them and Seren. Sirius wasn’t confident enough to handle her on his own yet, and Astrid didn’t want him to panic so early on. _

_ “Hm?”  _

_ “When did you realize?”  _

_ Astrid looked up from where she was watching Seren sleep, confused slightly, before seeing the look on Lily’s face. _

_ “When did you look at Sirius and see him?” _

_ Astrid sighed, getting off her knees and arranging herself on her bed.  _

_ “I don’t think there was ever an exact moment,” she said, a slow, sad smile forming on her face. “I grew up with him. I was always with him. Part of me always knew we were going to get married. I don’t think I ever had that moment I looked at him and really saw him. I always saw him, I always watched him.” _

_ Astrid shrugged a moment later, as Lily sat down across her, the bed sinking slightly under their combined weight. _

_ “I have never not seen Sirius Black. I always watched, I always saw and I simply never stopped. Even when it was bad for me and he hurt me and made me cry. Even when I knew I couldn’t trust him in any way and that he would only ever hate me and see me as the girl who followed his mother’s orders. I always saw him, even when it was something I should not have done.” _

_ Lily reached out and hugged her tightly, but Astrid wasn’t done. It was as if the gates had finally opened and she could finally say what she had kept inside all this time. _

_ “I felt guilty for looking and seeing, I felt like the scum of the earth. I felt like I was wrong, that I was broken, for seeing someone like him the way I did. I thought I was broken because no one should love the person who causes them pain. But I did. I loved my mother even when she tore me apart. I loved my father, even when he left me and ran away with a muggle woman he had only just met. I loved Bella, even though she didn’t always manage to protect me when she said she would and she lied. I loved Narcissa even when she chose to turn her back on Andromeda and made me feel worse for loving someone they had discarded. _

_ I loved Sirius Black even though I knew better because that was all I knew. I loved him because sometimes love isn’t always about being treated well and keeping promises. Sometimes it’s heavy hands and bruised skin, tears and sobs that are hidden in pillows late at night. Not everyone gets love the way we hear of it, and I grew to accept that perhaps, for me, this was what love would be.” _

_ “Astrid,” said Lily, softly, but didn’t continue. She just pulled Astrid to her chest and let the girl sob softly, running her fingers through her brown hair. _

_ What could she say to comfort her when she truly had no idea how to help? _

_ After all, she was no pureblood, she had never had the misfortune of meeting Walburga Black and she had never seen that side of the wizarding world. _

_ How could she offer words of sympathy and understanding when she could never understand how Astrid still found it in her heart to love a boy who had meant only hurt and pain to her for the longest time? _

* * *

_ Regulus had settled into his quiet, cozy flat pretty quickly, the appeal of staying away from the wizarding world slowly making itself known. He had never given the address of his new flat to anyone, though, wanting to stay alone for as long as he could. _

_ It was because of this that he was honestly baffled as to how Remus Lupin had found him, all the way out in this quiet, secluded, very muggle part of London. _

_ “How are you?” asked Regulus, sitting down on his couch, watching Lupin cautiously, not questioning how the man had found him. Part of him wasn’t really surprised, because Lupin had always had an unnatural ability to find people when they least wanted to be found. _

_ Sometimes, he honestly wondered how the boy hadn’t been put in Hufflepuff. _

_ (Well, no, Regulus could see that while James and Sirius were more obviously Gryffindor, given their antics and inability to think before they acted, Remus was just as obvious a Gryffindor. His eyes had that steel in them, sometimes, the kind of steel that made Regulus think that Remus may not show his bravery and courage to the world, but there was a courage in silently doing what was right, without a need to be noticed.) _

_ He had never expected to become friends with the quiet, bookish friend of his brother, but sometimes, hating yourself so much drew you to other people. He had never really looked at Remus Lupin till they bumped into each other after that fateful evening where his brother took him to Dumbledore.  _

_ He had been sure that Remus would ask about what he had walked in on before, or ask what was going on, but the only reaction he got from the man was a gentle smile and a nod, maybe a quiet good morning. _

_ “I’m alright,” said Remus, smiling slightly, but Regulus could see the tiredness in his eyes and the quiet self-loathing. _

_ Regulus was well accustomed to that look- he saw it every day in the mirror. _

_ After all, he should have been better, he should be better. How could he always cause problems for everyone? He was a disappointment to all the people around him- his mother, his aunt, Isolde, and Astrid. It was only a matter of time till the latter two gave up on him, the way they should have a long time ago. _

_ How could he not see it, when he knew what it felt like to love his brother’s girl? He had seen the gentle way Remus spoke to and hugged Astrid, he had done it himself for years. He knew exactly how it felt to watch as the woman you loved continued to look at the man you were always going to be second to. _

_ “Want a beer?” asked Regulus. “Or some whisky?” _

_ “You’re not even legal,” said Remus, drily. “At least in the muggle world.” _

_ Regulus shrugged, grinning slightly. _

_ “Got a whole new identity, actually. So in the eyes of the law, I’m an adult and no one is going to find out I’m younger than I am.” _

_ “How in the world did you manage that?” _

_ “Isolde did something,” said Regulus, with a shrug. “I’ve come to realize it is better not to ask.” _

_ Ah, and there it was. The guilt of loving someone who could never be yours, the guilt of knowing, believing, it was wrong. Regulus looked away, unable to stare too long before he himself started slipping into that downward spiral himself. _

_ Remus smiled, and then let out a sigh, leaning back. _

_ “A beer does sound good,” he said, lightly, and Regulus smiled back. _

_ “Have you met Seren yet?” asked Regulus, handing over the cool beer. _

_ “No,” said Remus, shrugging slightly. “Professor Dumbledore wanted me to help him with something, so I’ve been a bit busy. I’ll probably head over there in about a week.” _

_ “I can only imagine the chaos over there, with James and Sirius together with that baby. If you go, maybe the house won’t burn down,” said Regulus. _

_ “I think you forget I’ve been part of the marauders this whole time.” _

_ Regulus and Remus both burst into laughter. _

_ It would take some time for both of them to heal the scars of heartbreak, to try to get over the woman they had both come to love. _

_ But just because they were in pain, didn’t mean that the pain was bad. _

* * *

_ Lily smiled across the altar at James, her eyes wet with tears. It had taken them 7 years to get here. It had taken her 6 years to realize that James the Prat was not the only side of the man who now stood across her, openly bawling at the idea that he was finally marrying Lily. _

_ Sirius was chuckling behind James, grinning at Remus, as they tried to throw flowers at James’ head. _

_ Sirius had quietly told Lily last night what she had always known- he loved Astrid with all his heart, with his whole being, but was afraid he would hurt her again. It was the kind of fear that takes root in your bones, makes you ache from places you simply cannot remove the feeling from. _

_ Lily thought it was a little ridiculous that Sirius didn’t see what she saw.  _

_ They were two particles, bound by something far deeper and beyond the human understanding- two particles, two people, two tiny specs in this universe, that were simply meant to be together. Nothing could be done to stop that. _

_ Perhaps it was something Sirius did understand, and that feeling of inevitability was what drove him to hurt Astrid in the first place. And now, instead of running away, he was running towards her, but this time, it was her who was running away- quietly, timidly, hesitantly. _

_ She turned slightly to roll her eyes at Astrid, trying to distract herself from her thoughts, and was not surprised to see the wistful, though amused, expression on the girl’s face as she watched them. _

* * *

_ James raised his glass to get the attention of all the guests to the wedding. He could see his fellow members in the Order, some of his professors from Hogwarts, his closest friends. _

_ “I just have a few words I want to say before Sirius and Remus decide to talk about all the things none of you should know,” he said, blandly, and the room shook with bright laughter. It was almost as if there was no war outside this room, like there weren’t murderers on the loose, as if the villains of this story were not close to his best friend and the girl he had come to love as if she were his own. _

_ “I’ve always...always loved Lily. I’m sure everyone here knew it, I did a great job making sure every human being in the castle was aware of it. I get the feeling that Mrs. Norris knew it too. I wanted her to look at me and want me, but I suppose my execution was always a bit faulty. There was one person who quietly supported me from the background, never laughed at me- because these goons I call my friends insisted on cackling at me whenever I got rejected, thanks for that mates,” James said, glaring at the other three members of the Marauders. _

_ “But...Astrid was the one who always always always looked at me as truly saw me for who I was. She looked at me and didn’t see the cocky boy I often pretended I was, she looked at me and never saw a brat or a boy with no dreams. She looked at me and saw  _ _ me _ _ , she listened and she supported me. I know that even when Lily wanted nothing to do with me, Astrid often defended me in the only way she knew how back then.” _

_ Astrid was staring at him, tears in her eyes. _

_ “If anyone in this room truly believed we would be where we are today, it definitely wasn’t me. I hoped, of course, but I never believed it would happen. The only person here who knew, without a doubt, that Lily would one day look at me and see what she did was Astrid, and for that, I thank you. You gave me hope without even knowing it, you gave me hope and love and care when you yourself received so little of it, and you gave and gave and gave again.” _

_ A smile formed on Astrid’s lips, shaky and slightly wet and salty with tears. _

_ “Thank you for loving me, Astrid, even though you knew you may never get it back in return. I love you.” _

* * *

_ “You love her,” said Sirius, taking a long drag from his cigarette as he and Remus sat in the car for their stake out. _

_ “What?” asked Remus, staring at Sirius. In the darkness of the car, Sirius couldn’t see the way Remus’ skin went pale, the way his fists clenched the fabric of his trousers. _

_ “Astrid. You’re in love with her, mate. There’s no point trying to deny it.” _

_ “Is it that obvious?” _

_ “To me?” asked Sirius, with a smile, his eyes distant. “Of course it is. I look at her the same way, Rem, of course I noticed.” _

_ “You..you don’t need to worry about it. I’ll...I’ll get over it.” _

_ “No need,” said Sirius, taking another drag. “Remus. You’re my best friend. We’re in the middle of a war.” _

_ Remus frowned slightly, trying to understand what Sirius could possibly be saying. _

_ “If something happens to me- death, imprisonment, disappearance. It’s your job to look out for her, okay? If I’m not there, you wouldn’t need to worry about anything.” _

_ “What?” _

_ “Rem. If something happens to me, I want you to marry Astrid. It may take some time, but I want you to love her as much as you can. I want you to give her everything I never could and may not get to, if something happens.” _

_ “Nothing is going to happen to you!” said Remus. “If anything, something will happen to me, because someone is going to find out I’m a monster! How can you possibly think me loving Astrid is a good thing?” _

_ “Remus,” said Sirius, the patience in his voice clearly gained from years of dealing with Remus talking about himself like this. “You’re not a monster. And you would be good for each other.” _

_ Sirius stubbed the cigarette and threw it outside. _

_ “Now, enough about that. I think I saw them. You ready to go in?” he asked. _

_ Remus pushed Sirius’ words to far end of his mind. _

_ Nothing would happen to Sirius. It couldn’t. Astrid simply wouldn’t be able to deal with it. _

* * *

_ Astrid sat in her armchair, watching Seren crawling around the floor, squealing in joy when she caught sight of Remus. _

_ “Why do you not go near her?” asked Astrid, startling Remus, who had been watching Seren with a fond, almost longing, gaze. _

_ “What?” _

_ “You watch her from afar, but I don’t think you’ve ever held her. Are you scared?” _

_ Remus looked at Seren for a moment, his shoulders stiff as he thought about it. _

_ “Because, Astrid,” he said softly, his eyes now on the floor. “I’m a monster.” _

_ “You’re not.” _

_ “You don’t know what I am,” said Remus. “If you knew, you would never let me near your child, or yourself, and I’ve been so selfish, hiding this from you, knowing that.” _

_ There was no response and Remus closed his eyes, taking a deep, but shaky, breath. _

_ “Astrid,” he said, willing himself not to cry, “I’m a werewolf.” _

_ He could hear shuffling but he refused to open his eyes and watch the woman he loved walk away. _

_ “You silly, silly man,” said a voice and a squirming bundle was placed in his arms. Remus’ eyes shot open, and he realized that Astrid was kneeled down in front of him and Seren was in his lap. _

_ “You’re a fool if you think that matters to either of us.” _

_ “Astrid-” _

_ “Hush,” she said, smiling sweetly. “I already knew, Remus. I was the one who did the research for your mission. I knew during school as well.” _

_ Remus heard the words she didn’t say. _

**_I’ve known all this while and I let you close when I was at my most vulnerable, I let you close when I was about to give birth. I will always let you close, keep you close._ **

_ Remus burst into tears, holding Seren close to his heart. _

_ Seren’s fist raised up and hit him lightly in the face. _

_ “Remmy?” she asked, and Astrid gasped, eyes wide. _

_ Remus could only cry harder, because of course. _

_ Of course Astrid, lovely, beautiful, infinitely kind Astrid, would not care. _

_ And of course, her daughter’s first word wasn’t Ma, or Da, but Remmy. _

_ Of course. _

_ How could he have ever thought he would lose this? _

_ How could he have ever thought he could walk away? _

_ Of course he would fall deeper and deeper in love, regardless of the ring that he had helped Sirius buy. _

_ Because he couldn’t stop loving her, he didn’t have it in him to stop. _

_ And that made him more selfish than he originally thought. _

* * *

_ Sirius tugged on his suit nervously, turning to Remus, who stood behind him as his best man. _

_ “You’ll be great, Padfoot,” said Remus, with a smile. “Just you wait.” _

_ Seren was in Lily’s arms, curled into the slightly visible pregnant belly of the red haired woman. This would, perhaps, be the last time they would all be together like this, celebrating something, for a while. Lily and James were to go to hiding very soon. _

_ The music around them started and Sirius glanced up at the hidden alcove where he knew his brother was hiding, watching the proceedings. Regulus had to be here, and he would have walked Astrid down the aisle if he wasn’t in hiding. Unfortunately, this was the only way Regulus could be a part of Astrid’s big day, and it hurt, but there was simply no other way. _

_ Walburga Black was dead, but that didn’t mean there weren’t people out there who wanted to catch Regulus Black. _

_ Instead, when the doors opened, it was James who was holding Astrid’s arm, to walk her down the aisle. Isolde was sitting in the front row, tears in her eyes as Astrid walked down the aisle, her hair elegantly pulled back, looking like a wood nymph, like one of the fae. _

_ Nymphadora had taken on her to-be aunt’s features for the wedding, prancing around with curly brown hair and throwing flowers at everyone who was close enough for her to throw it at. _

_ Sirius stared at her before turning to Remus. _

_ “You promised me, Remus. Remember it,” said Sirius, softly and Remus nodded, equally serious. _

_ It had taken them months of arguing for Sirius to finally convince Remus to agree. Remus had only agreed if Sirius would ask Astrid to marry him. _

_ “You look beautiful,” said Sirius, smiling at Astrid, who smiled bashfully back. “Doesn’t she Rem?” _

_ “Of course,” said Remus, smiling at Astrid, his eyes warm. “Always.” _

* * *

_ Astrid clung to Sirius’ shirt, sobbing as the aurors tugged at him. _

_ “Cornelius, you can’t be serious!” _

_ Fudge shrugged. _

_ “It is the way it is, Astrid.” _

_ “I told you! I told you all! I even offered to take veritasium! He was with me that night! He was not the secret keeper!” _

_ Fudge tugged at his cloak, uncomfortable, but allowed Sirius to kiss Astrid. _

_ “Love,” said Sirius, “Don’t cry.” _

_ “Fudge,” said Astrid. “Don’t do this.” _

_ The aurors pulled Sirius out and Astrid sobbed, screaming at the man in front of her but he simply wouldn’t listen. _

_ The house, when he left, was silent. Seren was at Isolde’s place and perhaps it was for the best. The house felt old and empty and too too quiet. _

_ Just the way her heart had been before Sirius had told her he loved her, the way it had been under the reign on her mother and his mother. _

_ A sharp knock startled her out of her thoughts and she hurried to the door. _

_ “Dumbledore!” said Astrid, her eyes filling with tears again. “You’ve got to do something, they’ve taken Sirius!” _

_ Albus looked at her sadly, shaking his head. _

_ “There is nothing I can do, Astrid.” _

_ Behind him, she saw McGonagall looking away in shame. _

_ And that was when Astrid realized. _

_ They knew this would happen. _

_ They were not going to do anything about it. _

_ “I’ve come to request that you take in Harry as your own,” started Albus, showing her the boy bundled up in his arms. _

_ “Of course,” said Astrid. “As if I would leave him with you, Albus. You can’t even seem to protect your own.” _

_ “Astrid!” McGonagall reprimanded, but Albus shook his head. _

_ “But I do,” said Astrid, glaring at the elderly man. “I do, Albus, I protect mine the way none of you would ever understand, simply because the people around me have disappointed me too often for me to believe in them. Thank you for reminding me that I can’t be happy, Albus. Please never let your shadow hit the steps of any house I own, you are not welcome.” _

_ With that Astrid took Harry in her arms, slammed the door behind her and pulled up the wards of her apartment so sharply that they made Albus Dumbledore trip away from the door. _

* * *

_ “New to the Wizengamot,” said the bored looking, eldery man- the Lord Speaker- near the mike. “Is the new representative of the Arundell seat and the guardian of the Potter and Black seats and the newest Lady amongst us, Lady Arundell-Black.” _

_ “What?” hissed Cornelius Fudge, his skin turning pink in rage. _

_ “Thank you, Lord Speaker. I, Lady Astrid Arundell-Black, vow to protect our wizarding world and ensure its smooth governing as every Arundell has before me, and as they always will. Considering I was married into House Black and am the guardian of the only remaining member of the House Potter, I will be holding the two seats till the time comes that their true owners may sit in them again.” _

_ Her words sent a ripple of whispers across the room, but Astrid had eyes only for Cornelius Fudge, a small smirk on her face. _

_ Once the room was clear, Fudge stalked up to her. _

_ “What is the meaning of this?” _

_ “I did warn you, Fudge. I told you not to do this, but you refused to listen. I think,” she said, her index finger tapping on her chin thoughtfully. “That you thought I was a broken shadow of a girl, and taking something from me would mean nothing. After all, what could poor broken Astrid Arundell do?” _

_ Fudge stepped back slightly, fists clenched and teeth grinding. _

_ “But Fudge. I think you forget who my grandmother is. Who Walburga Black was. Who James Potter was. You forget I grew up with all of them, in different points in my life. Underestimating me was your mistake, but no worries. Everyone makes mistakes,” she said, smirking. “It’s just that yours will haunt you for the rest of your life.” _

_ “Is that a threat?” yelled Fudge. _

_ “No, Cornelius,” said Astrid, flipping her hair as she walked toward the entrance. “It’s a promise.” _


	2. Year 1

The house was quiet other than the sounds of her mother moving around in the kitchen, making the last breakfast they would be having at home before going to Hogwarts. Seren Arundell-Black stealthily made her way to the room closest to the stairs, the one that belonged to her younger brother, Harry Potter. 

She was incredibly excited because it was finally time for Harry to start his own time in Hogwarts. She would see her baby brother constantly, and she wouldn’t have to miss him like she did every time she went to Hogwarts. 

She knew that the place was like home for so many people, but when her little brother wasn’t there, she couldn’t enjoy it the way she wanted to. Especially since her mother didn’t like having magic in the house.

Seren grinned brightly as she ran into her brother’s room, her eyes bright with excitement. The dark haired boy was lying starfished on the bed, his legs tangled up with his sheets. No one would think this boy was the Saviour of the Wizarding World. Especially before breakfast.

“WAKE UP, HARRY!” she yelled loudly, making the boy fall out of his bed in fright.

She cackled when Harry threw a pillow at her, her beater reflexes kicking in as she whacked it aside and ran out of the room.

“Seren, don’t bully your brother!” called out her mother, Astrid Arundell-Black, from downstairs, though it was evident the woman was amused at her excitement.

“But Mum!” she wailed, as she hopped down the stairs, two stairs at a time, “I can’t help it! I’m so excited that I can finally show Harry all the cool stuff at Hogwarts!”

“And keep him safe,” said her mother, her eyes serious for a moment, obviously remembering what she had gone through at Hogwarts. 

“Of course, Mum,” Seren said, kissing her lightly on the cheek as she took the three glasses of orange juice to the table.

Before Seren had gone to Hogwarts, Astrid had sat her down and explained to her everything that had happened in the war, and all about her mysterious father. It had been a shock, obviously, to find out that her parents had not had her the way children were normally born. She knew, however, that her mother had to tell her about her father because he had been sent to Azkaban regardless of proof that he was innocent. 

“We had to keep you under a stasis charm for a year in order to make sure that no residue of the dark magic was left. So you would have actually been in your third year now if you had been conceived normally. The stasis charm made sure you didn’t age as we removed the dark magic from your body because as you would grow older, the magic would be more difficult to remove,” Remus had told her when she was about to leave for her second year. She had mentioned that some of the older students had been slightly weird with her, which made her suspicious that their parents must have told them something about her that hers had not. “Your mother wouldn’t have mentioned it because it was a horrible time for her, watching her baby in that bubble. She refused to talk to me or your father for a long time. But I needed to tell you this, because if someone says something, you shouldn’t be confused about who you are. You’re our baby girl. And regardless of how you came into this world, your mother, father and I love you very much. Harry’s parents loved you very much. So much that Lily did a blood ritual to help your mother give birth to you because there were complications.”

Seren never faced any sort of overt prejudice within the walls of Hogwarts but that didn’t mean that the outside world was just as kind. In Hogwarts, she got the feeling that the teachers didn’t say a word out of respect to her mother. But the outside world had no such need, no such fondness for her mother and when her mother took her to the train, the disdain on the other parents’ faces had not been hidden or subtle. 

And yet, her mother came every year to drop her off, kissing her goodbye, a small sad smile on her face as she told her to be strong. Every year, as she would take her seat in the train, she would watch her mother turn to Andromeda Tonks, talk to her a little, and then turn her back, yet again, on the world that only caused her pain.

“You make it sound like I get into trouble when its Seren who manages that all on her own.” Harry grumbled as he walked into the dining room, his hair spiked up in every direction as it tended to.

“Well,” said Astrid, with a small, sad smile. “You do have it in your blood.”

“A truer sentence has never been spoken,” said a new voice, and the two kids rushed to the tired looking man at the door.

“UNCLE REMUS!” They chanted, making him laugh brightly. He slipped his wand into his robe, allowing the two to hug him. Astrid didn’t like using magic in the house because it reminded her about the world that had done nothing but hurt her. She didn’t try to hide it from the two kids, but she just didn’t like people with their wands out in the house. She taught them everything they needed to know about the wizarding world, but they lived in the muggle one, where Astrid was sure that no one would find them. 

Remus, who had lost just as much as Astrid had, did what the other woman needed to feel safe, knowing that they all had their own way of coping. He dropped his bag near the door, kissing Astrid on the cheek in greeting.

“You want orange juice or hot chocolate, Remus?” asked Astrid with a smile, as she carried the two plates of bacon and eggs.

“Hot chocolate, Ri,” he said, smiling and Astrid left to the kitchen to get his chocolate.

“Seren, tie your hair up. It’s falling into your food.”

Seren sighed, getting out of her seat to hunt down her scrunchie so she could do as she was told. 

“Excited, Harry?” asked Remus, grinning. He still had issues looking at the boy and not seeing James, so he constantly felt awkward and out of sorts with him, even though he had been involved in the boy’s life since he moved in with Astrid. Perhaps Harry was aware of Remus’ internal struggles because he never once questioned it or felt that Remus loved him less, just because Remus knew how to talk to Seren and not him.

“Yeah!” said Harry with a grin. “Seren was telling me I can sit with her for the ride, and maybe I can get into Ravenclaw with her, even though I’m pretty sure I’ll be in Gryffindor like Mom and Dad. Sorry, Mum.”

Astrid laughed, shaking her head. 

“You could get into Slytherin and I wouldn’t care, love. Two of the bravest men I know were in Slytherin.”

“Uncle Sev and Uncle Reg,” said Harry, nodding. “I know. But still, I’d like to be in Gryffindor. It would be nice to see the rooms that dad stayed in, had his pranks, and all that.”

“Who knows,” said Seren, ruffling Harry’s hair as she sat back down. “You could just be in Hufflepuff. They’re particularly  _ good finders _ .”

Remus rolled his eyes, grinning at the two kids as they bickered, and then turned his smile towards Astrid.

“They’re growing up fast aren’t they?” 

“Yes,” said Astrid, with a quiet sigh. “The house will be quiet without them.”

“You could always come with me, Ri,” he said, placing his hand gently on her thigh. “You know I won’t have any problem with it.”

“I can’t,” she said, softly, a sad smile forming on her face. Remus smiled, nodding as his thumb gently caressed her thigh before he moved his hand away.

“So, Seren, what are you and Ms. Cho planning on getting up to this year?”

Seren lit up at the thought of her best friend, making even Astrid smile. Elaine Cho was a Korean witch whose parents had defected North Korea to ensure that their daughter had a future.

When she had joined Hogwarts, she was a small, timid looking firecracker of a girl, and she had immediately befriended Seren when they were both placed in the same house. She had been exactly what Seren had needed in a world she had been told that would hate her for her mere existence. 

“Well, she’s gotten a whole bunch of stuff from South Korea, and I’m seriously looking forward to seeing all the Oriental magic she might have learnt!”

“Nerd,” coughed Harry, laughing as Seren made a swipe at his head. 

“Children,” said Astrid, fondly. “Behave. I hope both of you have packed.”

“More or less,” said Seren, grinning at the disapproving look she got from her mother. 

“Well, we better leave soon if we want to reach the train on time. Come on, finish quickly and your mum can apparate you there,” Remus said, quickly diverting Astrid’s focus from Seren.

Harry quickly ate his food, nodding. He was excited to finally see the world his parents had died protecting. He knew a lot of people thought he shouldn’t be with Mum and Seren, because Sirius was believed to have betrayed them. But he knew the truth- that Sirius wasn’t guilty and had been used as a scapegoat by the Ministry of Magic.

“Harry, your mum and I have something for you,” said Remus. Seren grinned, running up the stairs to the white snowy owl she had hidden in her room to make sure Harry didn’t see it.

“Oh my god,” said Harry, staring at the owl as Seren carried the cage down carefully. “She’s beautiful.”

The bird puffed up with pride at the statement and when Seren opened the cage, immediately flew to Harry’s shoulder, nipping his ear gently.

“What’s her name?”

“Well, we thought we could leave that up to you,” said Astrid, smiling fondly at the awed expression on her godson’s face. “After all, she is yours.”

“This way you can mail us whenever you want,” said Remus, ruffling the younger boy’s hair affectionately.

“Hedwig,” said Harry, his eyes still wide and blurry with tears of joy at the simple gift he had been given. “I’m going to call her Hedwig.”

“Now we definitely have to get going,” said Astrid, suddenly standing and opening the kitchen drawer she kept her wand in. “Kids, ready?”

“Yes Mum!” The two chanted in unison.

“Have a great year, kids,” said Remus, hugging both of them before flicking his wand to get their stuff down. “Don’t give your mother too much stress.”

“Yes, Uncle Remus!” they chanted again, and the two adults rolled their eyes, knowing fully well that Astrid would stress out anyway.

“Alright, ready?” Astrid said, and the two nodded, waving at Remus one last time before they apparated away.

* * *

“Ugh,” said Seren, groaning slightly. “I’m never going to get used to this.”

“No one ever does,” said Astrid, with a quiet chuckle. Seren squeezed her mother’s hand lightly before letting go, knowing fully well why she had suddenly become so quiet.

“Seren!” yelled someone, and suddenly, a tall, slim girl of Asian descent came running at them, jumping at Seren with a bright laugh.

“Elaine!” Seren laughed. “Get oooofffff!”

Elaine pulled away before hugging Astrid as well, and then ruffling Harry’s hair fondly.

“Wotcher, squirt,” she said, her eyes lighting up as Harry whined playfully.

“How are your parents?” Astrid asked.

“They’re fine. The visit wasn’t as…hard as we thought it would be. We won’t be going back anytime soon, but it was nice to see the place I came from- sort of.”

“I know that feeling,” Astrid said, smiling softly, obviously referring to what their family referred to the School Year Home. Every year, when Seren started going to Hogwarts, Astrid would go back to her childhood home, as if she wanted to revisit the place she had lived in and survived in, as a reminder of who she had fought to become. Harry had been there for a lot of time over the past years, and this would be the first year Astrid would be going there alone.

“Come on, Squirt,” said Seren, laughing at Harry’s unhappy expression at the new nickname. “Let’s go get ourselves a seat. Bye, Mum!”

“Bye, love. Have a great year,” Astrid said, hugging her daughter tightly, and then Elaine.

The two girls moved away to give Harry and Astrid some privacy, quietly whispering plans to each other but, at the same time, listening in to know what to look for when Harry came with them. 

“Bye, Mum. I’ll miss you,” said Harry, quietly.

“I’ll miss you too, honey. Promise me you’ll enjoy your time there,” Astrid replied, quietly. “Promise me you’ll have fun.”

“Of course,” said Harry, and then paused. “What if my house doesn’t like me? What if I don’t make friends?”

“I get the feeling Seren and Elaine plan to beat up anyone who even looks at you wrong,” said Astrid, with a small laugh as Harry grinned through his worry. “And you’ll make friends. Remember this, Harry. Always trust your instincts, first and foremost. Most emotions can lead us astray, but our instincts, especially those that are backed by emotions, will never lead us wrong. Be true to yourself, even when no one else is.”

Harry nodded seriously, knowing that his mother was referring to something in her own past she had not told either of her children.

“And you’re the son of two Gryffindors, but you are also the godchild of a Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor who were both supposed to be in Slytherin. Your uncle was a Slytherin, and I’m pretty sure James had a cousin who was a Hufflepuff. Houses don’t matter, it’s what you learn from them that does.”

Harry nodded again, and hugged Astrid tightly.

“Have fun, sweetheart,” she said, kissing him on the top of his head lightly, as she pressed him closer to her.

Finally, they let go of each other and Harry hurried over to Elaine and Seren, the three of them waving at Astrid one last time before hurrying into the train to look for a compartment.

None of them noticed Narcissa Malfoy approach Astrid for the first time in years.

“Astrid,” she said, her voice just as melodically calming as it had been the last time Astrid had seen her.

“Cissy,” said Astrid, nodding in greeting.

“It’s been a while. Considering both our sons are on that train, I thought it would be nice to have tea together.”

“Of course. Does Draco know what Seren looks like?”

Narcissa and Astrid had not spoken to each other in person for a long time. However, they were two women left alone in the world, and two women who had lost everything to a war they had wanted no part it. They were two women who had to be strong for the sake of their children and so it was only natural they had managed to seek each other out when Narcissa had turned in her husband in favour of protecting her son and the woman she had once hoped to call her sister.

In the middle of handling Seren and a baby Harry, Astrid had been startled to find Narcissa at her doorstep, apologizing for the hand her husband had in the death of her two best friends and her husband’s currently ongoing stint at Azkaban. Turning him in had not gotten Sirius out, but it had mended a bridge between the two women that neither had realized they needed. 

Astrid had never actually met her nephew since the day that Narcissa had come to her for help, but she had told Seren all about him and had shown her pictures of the boy so that she would know who to look out for. Astrid knew what it was like to be the outcast and would never wish that on anyone.

“Of course. I’m pretty sure she’s hunting him down right now.”

As the two women turned to leave, the Hogwart’s Express started to move away, taking their children to the castle that they had once called home.

* * *

  
  


“Come with me, Harry,” said Elaine. “Your sister’s off to find your cousin.”

“Found him!” said Seren with a laugh as she ran after a boy with platinum blonde hair.

“Come on,” said Elaine, with a chuckle. “Let’s grab hold of this compartment before someone else does.”

Elaine gently pulled Harry into the empty compartment, helping him put his stuff up.

“Are you looking forward to this year?” she asked with a kind smile. Harry nodded.

“I mean, I’m nervous, obviously, but…”

Seren was laughing as she came back, the blond boy behind her, looking awkward and sheepish.

“Guys, this is Draco Malfoy. Draco, this is my best friend Elaine Cho and my little brother Harry Potter!”

“Hello,” Draco said with a nod. “Nice to meet you.”

“Hey,” said Harry with a smile. “Mum’s told us about you.”

“Same here,” said Draco, seeming to relax at Harry’s smile. 

“I assume you’re as excited as Harry is about going to Hogwarts?” asked Elaine.

“Sort of?” said Draco, uncertainly. “My whole family has been in Slytherin but Mother doesn’t want me to be there. I think she’s scared I’ll end up like father.”

“It’ll be awesome if the two of us manage to get into the same house though!” said Harry, brightly. “Elaine and Seren are Claws, and I’m hoping for Gryffindor because my parents were there, but I wouldn’t mind Slytherin.”

Draco seemed startled, Harry being the first person he had met that wasn’t against Slytherin.

“Really?” he asked, uncertainly.

“Well,” said Seren, “I’m related to a lot of Slytherins. So is Harry. The house doesn’t define you.”

“Plus, the idea of a house being evil is kind of silly, logically speaking,” said Elaine. “But I know that you’d probably do better at Gryffindor, Draco.”

“Why is that?”

Elaine smiled secretively. Seren laughed brightly.

“Elaine always knows who is going to be in which house. It’s kind of like she’s an alternative to Hat.”

“Plus, the idea of being put into a house based on traits that haven’t even developed yet is ridiculous. I feel like the Hat sorts more in terms of the house you want to embody than the house you, that is 11 year old you, embody already,” said Elaine, calmly.

The two 11 year olds thought about this for a minute.

“So you got into Ravenclaw because you wanted to be smart?” asked Draco, looking at Seren.

“No,” Harry said, shaking his head. “She wanted Ravenclaw because that is where Mum is from.”

The two siblings seemed to be thinking about something else that the other two children in the compartment were not privy to.

“Excuse me!” said a girl who had suddenly opened the door.

The four turned to look at a bushy haired 11 year old, who was huffing from running.

“Yes?”

“Terribly sorry about disturbing you but Neville’s lost his frog, Trevor, and we’re trying to find him.”

“Haven’t seen him, sorry,” said Harry, regretfully.

“Blimey,” said the girl, walking in and sitting between the two older girls. “You’re Harry Potter.”

There was an awkward pause before she said, “I’m Hermione Granger, by the way.”

“Take a picture,” drawled Draco. “It’ll last longer.”

Hermione huffed in irritation, flaring at him. 

“I’ve read all about him. It’s a bit odd to suddenly realize he’s our age.”

Harry blushed lightly, trying to make himself smaller.

“I can get Trevor to you if you want,” said Seren, breaking the awkwardness.

“Really?” asked Hermione, brightly.

“Accio!” said Seren, and suddenly a brown toad flew into the room and into Seren’s hand. “Doesn’t always work on living creatures, but I figured a toad should work.”

“That’s so cool,” said Hermione, completely forgetting Harry’s existence as she gazed up at the older girl. “When will I learn that?”

“She didn’t learn it at school,” said Harry with a huff. “She taught herself how to do it so she could cause havoc.”

“Harry knows all about that,” said Seren brightly. “I spent all summer using the spell to take things from his room. Thank god Mum didn’t catch me at it.”

“Thanks so much, though!” said Hermione, smiling as she got up. “Neville’s been worried sick. Bye Harry!” 

She was about shuffle out before turning.

“Sorry,” she said to Draco. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“Draco Malfoy.”

“Well it was nice to meet you guys,” she said, nodding. “I’ll see you at the feast! I’m incredibly interested in seeing the Great Hall. Bye!”

“Well,” said Elaine. “That girl seems to be a Ravenclaw alright.”

“Hmm,” said Seren, frowning. “Gryffindor, I think. Wanna bet on it?”

Elaine nodded seriously.

With that, the four focused on each other once again, as the older girls tried to tell the boys all about the classes they would have and the fun they would be part of.

Draco gazed out of the window, watching as the train slowly moved closer and closer to the station where they would all get off to make their journey to their new home.

He had gotten onto the train worried about making friends and now...now he was hopeful.

Maybe Hogwarts wouldn’t be all that bad after all.

* * *

“So you reckon your brother and cousin will be alright without us?” asked Elaine as they climbed into a carriage.

“Well, anyone who messes with them will live to regret it,” Seren cheerfully replied, earning a soft snort from her dark haired friend.

Just as they were about to continue their conversation, two tall boys stumbled into the carriage, dragging their friend with them.

“Oh darn,” said one of the redheads, as he flopped down next to Elaine. “I didn’t think Flint could run that fast.”

“He looked hilarious with that dungbomb though,” cackled the other redhead, making the third boy laugh.

Seren looked at Elaine, confused as to why these boys were sitting with them.

“You girls don’t mind, right?” asked the boy next to Seren. “All the other carriages are already full.”

“Yeah sure,” said Elaine with a shrug, and Seren nodded, before looking outside as their carriage began to move.

“I’m Fred, by the way,” said the boy next to her. “Fred Weasley.”

“Seren Arundell-Black,” Seren replied, curtly, expecting the usual hush that followed when she said her full name.

“Nice to meet you,” Fred said cheerfully. “This is Lee and my twin George.”

“Elaine Cho,” said Elaine, raising an elegant eyebrow at the lack of reaction at her best friend’s name.

“Never seen you two before,” said Lee, conversationally. “So I guess you lot aren’t Gryffindors.”

“Ravenclaws,” Seren replied, still confused as to why these three boys were so interested in them. It didn’t make sense that two of the biggest pranksters in school were- oh. Ohhhhh shit. 

She suddenly remembered the prank she and Elaine had played on the three boys, who never even knew it was coming. Being Claws, the two were incredibly good at not getting into trouble for the things they did, so no one knew- outside maybe their own house- that they caused just as much mischief.

It looked as though she and Elaine had both had the same realization at once and looked at each other, worried slightly.

“How boring,” said George with a sigh. “But convenient. You see, we’re looking for someone.”

“Ok?” said Elaine with a practiced tilt of her head, acting curious but innocent at the same time. “I hope you find them?”

“They’re the Ravenclaw Pranksters,” said Lee, eagerly. “You guys must know them, right?”

“We don’t really socialize much,” said Seren, with a sweet smile. “So unfortunately, we can’t really help you.”

The thing was, between Seren’s innocent looking face and Elaine’s awkward smiles, the two could get away with absolutely anything.

“But maybe you girls could look into it for us,” said George, earnestly. “We really need to find them.”

“Why?” asked Elaine.

“Can you imagine how much chaos we could cause in Hogwarts if we combined forces? We’d be unstoppable!” said Fred brightly.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” said Seren, amused. “Plus, what’s in it for us.”

Lee frowned slightly.

“You sure you’re not in Slytherin?”

“Nope,” said Seren with a smirk.

“Protection! We’d not bother you girls at all, and no one would ever be able to prank you!”

Elaine and Seren glanced at each other. They really hadn’t thought of what they could get up to this year, given that they had been focused on Harry and Draco, but maybe this would be amusing. The actual Ravenclaw Pranksters pranking the fuck out of the Weasley twins, who would have no clue who they were dealing with.

“Sure,” said Elaine, after a long pause. “We’ll help you out. But you boys don’t bother us at all, alright? We prefer our peace and quiet.”

“Sounds boring to me, but alright,” said Fred with a grin. “Pleasure doing business with you!”

After that, the carriage was silent till they reached the castle, and the two groups of friends parted ways, not knowing what havoc they would cause.


	3. Year 1

“Wow,” said Seren softly to Elaine once they had seated themselves in the Great Hall. “That was close.”

“It definitely was,” said Elaine, sighing. “Thank god the two of us are good at thinking on our feet.”

McGonagall had already started calling names. 

“Granger, Hermione!” 

“Here it comes,” said Elaine, with a smug look on her face.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

“WHAT?!!!” Elaine hissed. “Goddammit!”

“Pay up,” said Seren with a smirk, holding her hand out.

Elaine grumpily handed over a couple of galleons, and the two watched as, one by one, students got sorted.

“Malfoy, Draco.”

“Come on, sweetheart,” whispered Seren, nervous for him.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Draco stumbled out of the seat, surprised, and half jogged to where Hermione was sitting.

“Potter, Harry.”

Harry looked like he was really concentrating, his knuckles white as he gripped the stool hard. Seren looked as worried as he did.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Seren and Elaine let out a sigh simultaneously, glad that Draco and Harry had each other in their house, and maybe even Hermione, if the way Draco pulled her into their conversation was any indication.

“So what’s the plan?” whispered Elaine.

“Well, we’re going to have to act the part. They cannot know its us. But acting like we’re two innocent Claws that know nothing and see nothing will mean we can get closer and prank them at the same time.”

“True. But we’ll still have to proceed with caution. Claw’s stay quiet about what happens within the house, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t do anything.”

“What about Harry?” Elaine asked.

“He’ll keep his mouth shut if we tell him to.”

They smirked at each other, hiding their sniggers at what they would be able to get up to as the feast started.

“Cho, Arundell-Black,” said Roger Davies from where he was sitting a few seats away. “Whatever you lot get up to, make sure it ends up with us winning the Cup.”

“Which one?” asked Seren, with a smirk. “Also, tell the house that people are looking for the two of us. We need to keep mum about it if you and the prefects need intel.”

Roger snorted, mildly amused at her words.

“Both if you can manage it. I’ll let them know. You’re our best spies,” said Roger with a smirk. “No one ever suspects the two of you.”

“This is exactly why people wonder why you two weren’t put in Slytherin,” said Penelope, rolling her eyes from her seat next to Roger. 

Seren shrugged easily.

“You guys were the ones who wanted two people who blended into the crowd so you could rule the castle,” she said with a smirk, her eyes glittering in amusement. “We’re just doing what you wanted us to, Penny.”

Penny rolled her eyes, and passed Seren her peas, knowing the girl liked them. While Penny and Roger were not best friends with the two younger girls, they all hung out often enough in the dorms for them to be good friends. But Penelope wanted to be a Prefect, aiming at being Head Girl, while Roger had wanted to be the Quidditch Captain. Seren and Elaine had always kept to themselves but they always knew more than they should, being the sort that were incredibly aware of their surroundings.

“So who exactly is looking for you two?” asked Roger.

“The Weasley twins. Or rather, they’re looking for the duo they have named the Ravenclaw Pranksters.”

“Well,” said Penny with a disdainful sniff. “Gryffies aren’t exactly known for creativity, are they.”

Elaine snorted at the comment. 

“Don’t worry about it,” said Roger with a wave of his hand. “You two focus on Potter and Malfoy. I heard that Malfoy’s related to you?”

“Dad’s side,” Seren replied calmly.

Roger nodded absent mindedly, already having gotten distracted by Oliver Wood, the Gryffie Quidditch captain that was making faces at him from across the room.

“Boys,” said Penny, with a roll of her eyes.

Elaine and Seren laughed quietly at the older girl’s disdain at the boy’s single-mindedness.

Looked like it was going to be another normal year at Hogwarts for them.

* * *

Astrid sighed, locking the door behind her. In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to go back to her ancestral home. During their little tea party, Narcissa had categorically told her that this simply wasn’t healthy. She had even told her to come live with her for a while, but Astrid knew that if she wasn’t going to be going to that hell hole, there would only be one person she would be spending time with.

“You okay, love?” asked Remus, smiling kindly, reaching out for her.

“It’s weird, having both of them gone,” said Astrid, with a sad sigh, not turning around. Remus wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him so her back was snug against his chest.

“They’re growing up,” said Remus with a chuckle, kissing the side of her head with the familiarity of someone who understood how she felt. “Just yesterday we were trying to get Harry to stop accidentally adopting pets.”

Astrid laughed softly, turning around in his arms, placing her hands on his chest. She felt horrible, because on paper she was still married to Sirius. But Sirius was never coming back, not if Fudge and Dumbledore continued to act as they had before. The only person she had, the only person who had stayed by her side for this long, was Remus. 

Remus, who was kind, gentle and loved Seren and Harry as if they were his own kids. Remus, who was strong enough to go to Azkaban to visit her husband every month to tell him about his children. Remus, who loved her regardless of whether or not she was ever going to be able to give herself to him the same way she had given herself to Sirius. Remus, who understood and accepted that he could never fill the Sirius-shaped hole in her life and heart, so he made his own space there. 

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently, and Remus pushed forward for a second, and then gently moved away.

“Astrid, love,” he said, his voice husky and gentle. “You don’t actually want this.”

“I do.”

“Then do this when you’re not feeling lonely because your children have gone to school,” said Remus with a smile. He lifted his hand to cup her cheek, gently caress her cheekbone with his thumb.

“I’m sorry,” said Astrid, clenching her eyes shut. Remus chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“I’ve waiting for years, Astrid. And I’ll keep waiting. I understand. We’re friends first and foremost.”

Astrid let out a soft sob and let her forehead fall on his shoulder. Remus pulled her close, whispering soft reassurances into her hair.

“You have work tomorrow?” asked Remus, guiding the woman to the living room.

“Yeah,” said Astrid, with a sigh, her face in her hands for a moment. “I have a whole lot of meetings tomorrow, so I’ll keep busy. What are you planning on doing?”

“I found a few Grindylows in the backyard,” said Remus, finding a pair of bowls and ladled some stew in. “I was thinking of studying them.”

“Come over to mine tomorrow?”

Remus smiled, placing the stew in front of her before going back to cut some bread.

“When have I ever said no?”

Astrid smiled at him.

“We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”

Remus chuckled. “That we are, love. I’m going to meet Sirius this weekend. Will you come with me? He wanted to talk to you.”

Astrid stared at her stew quietly.

“I’ve been making him wait the same way I’ve made you wait,” she said, looking up with tears in her eyes. “What kind of woman does that?”

“One that has to put her children first,” said Remus, placing the bread in front of her. “He wasn’t ready to see you either. He didn’t want you to come to Azkaban to begin with. And then he knew, from what I had told him of Seren and Harry, that they would not let you come with just me. So he insisted that you not come till now.”

“They’ll have to meet him eventually,” said Astrid.

“Seren is still incredibly young. Let’s wait till the summer after Harry’s second year. It gives us time to convince Sirius to even agree, and it gives us time to see how to approach the whole issue with Harry.”

Astrid nodded, dipping her bread into the stew thoughtfully.

They both ate their stew quietly, lost in their worry and concern over the safety of the two children.

* * *

“You can’t be serious,” said Seren, shaking her head at McGonagall and Wood, who looked a little too smug to be apologetic. “You want a first year who has never flown in his life to join the bloody team!?”

“Language, Miss Arundell-Black.”

“YOU WANT MY BROTHER TO LET PEOPLE AIM BLUDGERS AT HIM!” wailed Seren.

“Don’t worry, Seren,” said Wood, brightly, his hand clamping down on her shoulder. “I’ll take good care of him.”

“Seren,” said Harry, awkwardly. “I know you’re worried but…”

“I know,” said Seren, shaking her head wearily. “Dad and Uncle James were on the team. I understand why  _ you _ would agree. I understand why Wood would agree. I’m trying to work out why Professor McGonagall would agree.”

“You should have seen it,” said McGonagall, a light in her eyes. “I’ve never seen such a natural seeker. He was trying to catch a Rememberall that Ron Weasley threw…”

“Interesting,” said Seren, a vicious glint in her eyes. “So, Harry. Point this Ron Weasley boy to me, would you?”

“Absolutely not,” said Harry. “It’s our fight with him. You’re not getting involved.”

“Our?” said Seren, and Wood and McGonagal made the wise decision to leave.

“Draco, Hermione and me. He’s been pretty horrid to Draco and Hermione.”

“Don’t worry, Harry,” said Seren with a bright, evil smile that no one would have suspected would be possible on a face like hers. “Rivalry breeds character. I won’t even let him know that I was the one that made his life miserable.”

“Seren,” said Harry, with a groan. “No.”

“One prank! Just so that I don’t destroy him for looking at you wrong.”

“Fine,” said Harry, with a sigh.

“Does Mum know?”

“Yeah. Sent a letter to her and Uncle Remus.”

“They’re going to be so proud,” said Seren with a laugh, ruffling his hair.

“Are you sure?” asked Harry nervously. “I mean, I don’t want Mum to worry.”

“She and Uncle Remus have a bet on you getting into the Quidditch team.”

Harry groaned loudly, making Seren laugh brightly.

“You can’t be serious,” said Harry, and the two siblings started walking towards the hall.

“Hey, I just heard,” Draco said, running up to them, Hermione in tow. “Congrats!”

“Thanks!” said Harry with a grin, his irritation at his mother and uncle fading away.

“This must make you the youngest quidditch player in a…” said Draco, eyes wide as he tried to work out when this had happened last.

“In a century,” said Harry, excitedly. “According to McGonagall.”

“Congrats on making it as seeker Harry,” came a pair of voices from behind them and Seren froze. “Wood’s just told us!”

The four turned to see Fred and George Weasley.

“Our little brother must be furious that his little idiotic plan ended up with you getting a spot of the team,” said Fred, sniggering.

“Always been a jealous one, that boy,” said George, shaking his head theatrically.

“Heya Seren, fancy meeting you here! Just the girl we wanted to see!” said Fred, draping his arm around Seren.

“Are you guys on the team as well?” asked Harry, quickly, noting the panic on his sister’s face.

“Oh yeah, we’re beaters,” said George. “We make sure you don’t get bloodied up too much.”

“Rough game, quidditch,” said Fred, nodding. “Can’t make any promises.”

“Don’t worry, Harry,” said Draco, with a grin. “I know more than enough about Quidditch to make up for your lack thereof.”

Harry found himself being dragged off by Draco, who had started explaining to him and Hermione all the various rules of Quidditch, while Seren tried to sneakily make her way out of Fred’s arm.

“Where do you think you’re going, sweetheart?” said George with a grin.

“We’ve been trying to catch hold of you and your friend without your 5th year protectors.”

“Roger and Penny?” Seren asked, amused at this assessment of her two friends.

“Yeah, Wood’s nemesis and Percy’s crush,” said George with a grin. “We have to hear so much about the two of them, day in and day out.”

“Just the worst sort of luck,” said Fred, pulling Seren to him as they dragged her along for a walk, as if they were best of friends.

“So why were you looking for Elaine and myself?”

“Ah, for business purposes, my dear,” said Fred, brightly.

“Business purposes, you see,” said George, nodding.

“We wanted to find out who these elusive young pranksters are,” both the boys said at once, pausing once they had reached an abandoned corridor.

“We Claws are kind of secretive. If they don’t want to be found, it’s going to be difficult to find them,” said Seren, smiling awkwardly. 

“Oh, come on,” said Fred with a smile that was probably supposed to be boyish and charming. “Surely you know more than that.  _ We’ve  _ heard that there are no other Claws that know more about what happens in Hogwarts.”

Seren froze, making the two boys chuckle.

“Did you really think we landed up in your carriage by accident?” said George, grinning at her.

“We did a lot of research on the Claws, and we know fully well that you and Elaine are the Informants.”

“Do you two name everything?” asked Seren, not able to resist.

“It makes things sound more interesting, doesn’t it?” said Fred, the arm around her pulling her closer to him.

“Ms Arundell-Black,” drawled a deep, calm voice that she knew belonged to Snape. “What exactly are the Weasley twins trying to pull you into?”

“Professor!” said Seren, brightly smiling at him. Snape, however, was disdainfully looking at the twins and Fred’s arm around her. Fred immediately let her go.

“McGonagall has loudly been telling anyone she can grab hold of,” drawled Snape. “That your brother has apparently made the team.”

“Yes sir,” said Seren, with a grin, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Harry’s quite excited.”

“I only hope that he doesn’t give your mother more gray hairs than you have.”

“I’m the epitome of innocence, sir,” said Seren with a smile. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course,” said Snape, smirking. “Give my regards to her.”

“Of course sir.”

Snape left, his robes billowing behind him. Seren watched him go, amazed slightly.

“I really need to find out how he does that.”

“Snape is a friend of your mum’s?” said Fred, his voice sounding strange.

“And Harry’s mum too. Why?”

“No reason,” said George, clearing his throat. “So when do you plan on telling us who they are?”

“Things like this take time,” said Seren, turning to them, fixing her robes. “All we found out is that they have something planned for the Halloween Feast.”

“What!” said Fred, scandalized. “That’s our thing! How dare they!?”

Seren hid a smirk at her quick thinking.

“That might be why they’re doing it. You two haven’t exactly been subtle about hunting them. They probably don’t want to be found.”

“Well,” said Fred, seriously. “We’ll just have to out-prank them then. Thank god we have you.”

Fred ran his fingers through Seren’s hair, tucking a stray strand behind her ear. George snorted, startling Fred and Seren. Seren felt her cheeks heat up suddenly, for no apparent reason and Fred’s ears turned light pink.

“Right,” said Fred. “We’ll be on our way then.”

“Right,” said George, though he seemed more amused than he probably should be.

Seren watched them go before quickly making her way back to the Ravenclaw dorms.

“Elaine!” she said, and the girl, who had been discussing something with Roger, looked up, raising an eyebrow.

“Code DEFCON!”

“Oh dear,” said Penny, from her seat near the fire. “Already?”

“You have no idea what I’ve been through today. I got ambushed.”

Penny shifted slightly so Elaine could sit in the loveseat with her, as Roger and Seren sat opposite to them.

“So you told them we have a prank planned for Halloween?” asked Elaine, with a grin, when Seren had explained the whole situation. “That’s some quick thinking!”

“I know right?” said Seren, with a grin, high-fiving Elaine.

“How sure are we that this isn’t just a plot to get secrets from our team?” asked Roger, making the three girls roll their eyes.

“Because they have yet to actually mention Quidditch to me,” said Seren. “Plus, I don’t think anyone has really realized I exist on the team to begin with. Even Lee forgets to say my name.”

“That’s true,” said Roger leaning back slightly. “So how do we deal with this? Will you two end up doing something big? Because you’ll need manpower for that.”

“Yeah,” said Elaine, with a small frown. “We’ll have to plan one at such a short notice.”

“Simplicity is often the best,” said Penny, with a shrug. “Your best pranks are often your most simple ones.”

Elaine and Seren exchanged a glance, smirking. Penny’s words had suddenly given them an idea.

“Looks like you inspired them, Penny. Alright then, I’m off to bed. Don’t forget, Seren. We have practice tomorrow.”

“Got it,” said Seren, but she was already leaning towards Elaine to whisper hushed plan for their little theatrical prank for Halloween.

Penny and Roger, unbeknownst to the two younger girls, shared a fond look before leaving them to it, going off to fulfill their own responsibilities.

* * *

“Roger! This is ridiculous, you know we booked the fucking pitch!” Seren heard someone yell as she made her way to the pitch. A couple yards from her was the Gryffindor team, facing her own team. Roger and Oliver were glaring at each other.

“Morning, Harry,” Seren chirped, smirking at her sleepy brother.

“Morning,” said Harry, yawning.

Their exchange had gotten the attention of the whole group.

“You’re late,” said Roger, glaring at her as well, making her raise an eyebrow.

“But Roger,” said Seren, with a pout. “You told me to get you the slip from Hooch!”

Seren passed the slip, which clearly said that Ravenclaw had the pitch today, making Roger crow loudly and kiss her soundly.

“Ew,” she said, rubbing her lips with her arm. “Roger, what the fuck.”

Harry was sniggering where he was standing.

“Marry me, Seren. You’re the absolute best!”

“No to the first part and obviously, to the second,” Seren replied drily, winking at Cho Chang, their new seeker.

“How are we supposed to train Harry!” said Oliver, trying to appeal to Seren as if she had the control here. “Seren, you won’t let your little brother play without practice, would you?”

Oliver grabbed hold of her shoulders, shaking her lightly.

“Of course I would,” said Seren, confused, at the same time that Harry mumbled, “Of course she would.”

“It is way too early to be dealing with this,” said Angelina with a huff. “Oliver, come on. What are we even doing here?”

“I’ll get you for this, Roger,” said Oliver pointing at him threateningly.

The group turned towards the castle, Harry waving at Seren and Oliver angrily stomping away.

“Definitely not fucking him then,” said Seren, fistbumping the other beater, Jason Samuel.

“I would never consort with the enemy!” said Roger, glaring at her, but his ears were pink all the same.

It was a well known and horribly hidden secret amongst the Claws that Roger Davies had a huge heart-boner for Oliver Wood. The amount of pigtail pulling the two did suggested that the feeling was mutual, but neither was willing to take the first step because that would, in their weird, Quidditch centric minds, be consorting with the enemy and losing to the other.

Roger took out his frustration on the team pretty quickly, but they all took it good naturedly. Roger was temperamental but his temper never lasted long, and he would always be apologetic afterwards.

Jason and Seren playfully hit all the bludgers towards him, making him more irritated at their gimmicks, making them giggle like scolded children.

“Oh for heaven’s sake,” said Roger, raising his hands to the sky. “Just get to the locker rooms and get out of my face.”

“We love you Roger,” sang Jason, making Seren laugh and hi five him.

“Ridiculous,” grumbled Roger as they all landed.

Seren sent Roger a flying kiss, making him roll his eyes and smile.

“Thanks for getting the note, Seren,” he said gruffly, ruffling her hair.

“Not a problem, Boss,” she said, brightly. “I realized you might have left it somewhere.”

The two walked together towards the castle, unaware of the eyes on them.

  
  



	4. Year 1

“Is everything set up?” asked Seren, smirking at Elaine, who grinned and nodded. “Great, just wait. Mum’s sending Harry’s a gift for getting on the team.”

Almost as if she had summoned the owl, a brown tawny owl that both kids knew belonged to Uncle Remus flew in, a large package in its talons. Behind it was another owl, a dark barn owl that belonged to their mother’s company.

They both landed in front of Harry, and Seren sniggered when he saw the red Howler that had come with it.

“Open it,” said Draco, his voice echoing in the now silent Great Hall. “It’s only worse if you let it go on longer.”

“HARRY JAMES POTTER. I CANNOT BELIEVE I HAD TO HEAR ABOUT THIS FROM YOUR SISTER!” said her mother’s calm but loud voice from the Howler, which had now exploded. “THE QUIDDITCH TEAM! YOUR FATHER AND SEREN’S FATHER WERE BOTH ON THE TEAM, YOU KNOW. BLOODY IDIOTS, THE TWO OF THEM. CONSTANTLY GOT HURT. BUT DON’T WORRY, I KNOW DRACO KNOWS A LOT ABOUT QUIDDITCH ACCORDING TO NARCISSA. YOU’LL DO AMAZING, SWEETHEART.”

“Oh my god,” moaned Harry, bright red. There seemed to be a slight scuffle and the voice changed.

“HARRY, IT’S REMUS. IF YOU COULDN’T TELL ALREADY, YOUR MUM AND SEREN CAME UP WITH THIS, AND I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THIS IS EMBARRASSING AS HELL. SORRY ABOUT THAT, COULDN’T REALLY STOP HER ONCE SHE GOT STARTED. BUT I’M REALLY PROUD YOU, HARRY. AND I’M SURE JAMES AND SIRIUS ARE TOO. WE’LL BE COMING FOR YOUR FIRST MATCH, OF COURSE.”

“Kill me now,” wailed Harry, making people snigger.

“Yeah, about that, honey,” said Astrid’s now normal voice. “If you can’t tell, we’ve gotten you a broom, love. And I’ve sent some sweets for you and Seren. And Seren, honey, I do hope you’ve been behaving. Severus tells me you’ve been suspiciously nice of late.”

With the laughter of the entire Ravenclaw table, the letter tore itself about.

“How rude,” said Seren with a pout. “I’m a bloody motherfucking angel!”

“That curses like a sailor,” drawled Roger, earning a light whack on his arm.

“I’m never going to get used to that,” said Elaine, watching Draco collecting the red shreds with a snort. Harry was tearing the packaging from his present, and people around him were eagerly watching.

“It’s a bloody Nimbus 2000!” said Draco, and whispers spread the room.

“And I knew you were spying on me, Professor Snape!” yelled Seren from her seat, making Minerva McGonagall snort, though she tried hard to hide it.

“Why,” drawled Snape. “Would I lower myself in such a way. It is not my fault that you enjoy prancing around the castle with the exuberance of a newborn pup.”

Seren’s eyes sparkled as she laughed, knowing that Snape was talking about her father’s animagus form.

“ROGER MY TEAM HAS A NIMBUS!” yelled Oliver, gleefully.

“Your mum is a Claw!” wailed Roger. “How could she do this to us!”

“Calm down,” said Seren. “Who said I don’t have one too?”

“What?” said Roger, quietly. “Seriously?”

Seren smirked.

“And we’re live,” said Elaine, with a smirk to herself.

The two had managed to slip some Choc-O-Shock into the chocolate cakes at the various tables. They had also slipped something special in the custards, which would make the students that ate them start to act like an animal.

“TROLL!” Came a scared yell from the doors of the Hall. “TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!”

Professor Quirrel was running in, stumbling over his slightly too long robes.

“Just thought you should know.”

With that, their DADA professor collapsed. Around him, students started screaming and running towards the door.

“Fuck,” said Elaine. “There goes the Halloween prank.”

“Come on you two!” said Penny, looking concerned and Roger grabbed a few of the smaller First Years.

“SILENCE!” roared Dumbledore and everyone froze.

“Prefects,  _ calmly  _ lead your house back to your dormitories. Teaching staff, we will go down to the dungeons to find the troll.”

Penny immediately stood up and gathered everyone. Seren tried to look out for her brother and cousin, but couldn’t see them anywhere. She frowned, slightly worried.

“I can’t see Harry, Draco or Hermione,” said Seren.

“They’ll be fine,” said Penny. “Percy won’t let them get into trouble.”

Seren was so worried that she didn’t even tease Penny about Percy, her eyes on the Gryffies that were leaving.

“They’ll be fine,” said Elaine, squeezing her hand. “Don’t worry. Come on, let’s go and chat about my time in South Korea. I have so much to tell you about Oriental Magic but we’ve been busy the past month or so.”

The promise of learning something she couldn’t learn in Hogwarts distracted her slightly but not completely. She let Elaine gently pull her to the Ravenclaw Dorms.

“Who the fuck let a troll in?” said one of the older Claws.

“It must have been someone who wanted a distraction of some sort. Trolls don’t live anywhere nearby and are difficult to speak to given the language is difficult to learn,” said Elaine.

Just as everyone had settled down, everyone in their First or Second Year having been sent up, The Grey Lady, their House Ghost, quietly floated in.

“Have you seen anything, milady?” asked Robert Hilliard, the Ravenclaw Prefect.

The Grey Lady was believed to be mute by the other houses, the quiet, eerie ghost that spoke nothing and stared quietly at everyone else. The Claws, though, knew better. They had all spoken to the Grey Lady at some point, most of them had been helped out of many a situation by the kind, quiet ghost.

“I do not know who let the troll in, but I do have news of Seren’s little brother and her cousin.”

“Are they ok?” Seren asked, eagerly.

“In a dramatic flair that reminds me quite clearly of his father and his friends, young Potter and Malfoy rescued Hermione Granger from sure death on his new broomstick. They managed to fly to their dorm without any trouble. I followed them to make sure.”

“Thank you so much, milady,” said Seren, with a bright smile.

“Not at all. You should know though. Whatever prank you were planning today may not have affected the students, but the ghosts seem to have managed to get hit by it instead.”

“Are you serious?” said Elaine gleefully. “What does the Bloody Baron sound like?”

“He’s been yowling like a cat that had its tail stepped on,” said the Grey Lady, her lips twitching slightly. “Well done, girls.”

With that, the ghost floated out of the dorm and back to the corridor.

The common room was silent before all the student started giggling at the image of the intimidating Slytherin house ghost yowling like a cat.

“Oh god, that made my day,” said Seren, “Come on, Elaine, let’s go upstairs. The excitement’s drained me.”

The two teens walked up the stairs to their dorm room, still giggling at the effect of their prank.

“You have no clue how much I found out about my heritage and why my family fled, Seren,” said Elaine, quickly casting a Muffliato as they sat on Seren’s bed.

Seren arranged herself so that they were facing each other and nodded.

“So apparently there are these mystical creatures called Kitsune, kind of like nature spirits or demons? It really depends on who you’re asking. But basically there are families where every generation there is at least one Kitsune,” said Elaine.

“And?” said Seren, her eyes wide.

“And this time its me. I found out during the end of last year, and my parents immediately took me to get trained. We would have stayed there but it’s too close to North Korea for us to risk it.”

“Oh wow,” said Seren. “What does it mean to be a Kitsune?”

“Mum couldn’t stop laughing because apparently they’re trickster spirits and love causing mischief. The Kitsune is actually Japanese, but at some point, my ancestors must have had a child with someone who was a Kitsune in their familial line, because ever since, our family has had Kitsunes as well.”

Elaine’s eyes were distant, almost as if she was back in South Korea.

“According to  _ Sensei, _ I’m probably a  _ Kaze, Sanda or Kawa  _ Kitsune. Meaning Wind, Thunder or River Kitsune- Thunder being similar to lightning, because thunder kitsunes have the power to control eletricity. Apparently my family has had mainly these types of Kitsunes. It’s usually common for the same set to be in the family. But it really depends on personal affinity.”

“So how will you find out which one you are?”

“Usually we find out through the course of our education, but since I’m here,  _ Sensei _ said that I would probably have to practice on my own. McGonagall has already made arrangements for me to practice in the Room of Requirements. Will you help me?”

“Of course! What are you even asking for? How do we prepare?”

Elaine gave her a relieved smile and they leaned towards one another and started scheming.

* * *

  
  


“Seren says that their prank on Halloween to cover their tracks against the Weasley Twins was cut short because of a troll,” said Remus, puzzled.

“What?” asked Astrid, confused as she looked through her closet for something appropriate to wear.

“Yeah, and apparently their prank ended up affecting the ghosts instead and the Bloody Baron was yowling like a cat for days.”

“But a troll?” asked Astrid, pulling on a plain green jumper and a pair of jeans before approaching Remus, who was seated in the hall.

“Someone let it in, apparently. But everyone’s safe. You ready?”

“Yeah,” said Astrid. “As ready as I ever will be.”

Remus smiled sadly at her.

“It’s not so bad. I mean, your contributions to the Ministry have obviously made his life easier in there. He even has his own cell, and its not as bad as everyone else’s. I should warn you though. Bellatrix’s cell is on the way there.”

“Bella’s always had a soft spot for me,” said Astrid, grabbing her purse and tucking her wand in. “Plus, Fudge had better make it easy on Sirius. He knows I can get him impeached the minute I want him to.”

“Sometimes I forget how scary you can be,” said Remus with a laugh.

“Never towards you, though,” said Astrid, her eyes sad as she regarded him. She wouldn’t kiss him again, he knew that, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t want to.

He probably knew that too, the insightful bugger.

Remus smiled, reaching out and running his fingers through her hair.

“You’re overthinking this. Sirius will say so too.”

Astrid couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt off though.

The two of them grabbed their wands and apparated to Azkaban. Astrid shivered at the feeling of proximity to the dementors, but said nothing as they made their way in. The waiting room in Azkaban was far posher than the rest of the prison, probably to take away from the eerie and daunting feel of the prison for the various families that would come in to visit.

“Hello, we’re here to meet Sirius Black?” said Remus to the bored looking goblin.

“Names?”

“Remus Lupin and Astrid Arundell-Black.”

“Purpose?”

“Family visit.”

“Go on up. You know the route.”

Remus and Astrid quietly went towards the staircase on the left of the reception.

“Absolutely horrid security,” mumbled Astrid. “They even let us bring our bloody wands.”

Remus snorted.

“It’s a bit of a joke, really. I guess the logic is that there are so few people who can actually conjure a patronus that no one in their right mind would try to help one of these people escape, given the Dementors.”

“Astrid?” called a voice from one of the cells they were passing. “Astrid, is that you?”

Astrid turned to look at Bellatrix Lestrange.

“Merlin, it’s really you,” she said, her eyes bright, but Astrid could still see the hint of insanity behind her dark eyes.

“Hello Bella. How are you?”

“Right as rain,” she said, reaching out to touch Astrid’s cheek gently. “You’ve grown into a beautiful woman. How’s your kid, the girl?”

“She’s doing well at school,” said Astrid, briefly. Bella may be like her sister, may have loved her in her own way, but, at the end of the day, Azkaban did take its toll on all wizards. Giving her any information on Seren was like handing her daughter on a silver platter.

“Of course she is,” said Bella, fondly. “Go ahead, meet your husband.”

Astrid smiled, and followed Remus, who had been watching the exchange with a pained look on his face.

“I really don’t like her being near you,” said Remus, gruffly. 

“Sirius never did either,” she said with a smile. “She won’t hurt me, though.”

Remus shook his head. “Her obsession with you is honestly creepy and I genuinely do not want you to talk to her. I don’t know why Lucius got the kiss but not her.”

Astrid shrugged as they stopped in front of the only actual door in the corridor. Remus reached out and touched the door once before stepping back. The door slowly opened and a joyous call came from inside.

“Moony! You’re back! Come on, I even made myself presentable!”

Astrid cleared her throat nervously as she stepped in before Remus.

“Astrid?” said Sirius, standing up. He looked older, obviously, but incredibly tired. She got the feeling that he was usually unkempt but he had bothered to get ready since he knew Remus was coming.

“Sirius,” she said, smiling and stepping towards him.

“Moony said you’d come sometime soon but I didn’t realize you’d come so soon,” said Sirius getting up. They stood in front of each other for a moment before Sirius reached out hesitantly and kissed her gently. Astrid sighed quietly against his lips.

“God, I’ve missed you. Moony taking care of you?”

“More of the other way around really,” said Remus with a laugh.

“Wait,” said Sirius with a frown. “You mean you haven’t made your move?”

“What?” said Astrid, looking at the two men.

“Moony,” said Sirius calmly. “Are you telling me that for the past 10 years, you’ve not done anything about it?”

“About what?”

“She knows how I feel, Padfoot,” said Remus, tiredly.

“Then why are you saying no?” asked Sirius, exasperated, turning to Astrid. “Is Moony not what you need?”

“He’s perfect,” said Astrid. “But in case you have forgotten, I am married to you.”

“And I’m telling you to move on.”

“I’m not divorcing you!” said Astrid angrily.

“I sure hope not,” said Sirius with a cheeky grin, but he looked tired. “Look Astrid. I’m stuck here. I want you to build a life for yourself without me because I honestly don’t know when I can get out of here. And the only person I trust with you is Moony. It helps that the guy’s been in love with you forever.”

“Padfoot!” said Remus, irritated.

“You said she knows how you feel!” he said, defensively.

“What? You mean you knew about this entire thing?”

“I even gave my blessings,” said Sirius, kissing her again. “I don’t mind sharing you with someone if that someone is Moony.”

Astrid didn’t say anything, she just kept blinking, absolutely confused.

Remus sighed and guided Astrid to the sofa at the end of the room.

“Listen, love. I love you,” said Sirius with a sad smile. “I really, really do. And I’m never going to stop loving you. But I’m in here, and you’re out there. How long do you plan to keep waiting for me?”

Astrid stared at him, uncomprehendingly.

“Astrid,” said Sirius with a fond smile. “You won’t be leaving me behind. I’m telling you to do this, I’m asking you to let yourself do this. It’s not fair to expect you to keep acting like I’m going to come back soon. It’s not fair to make yourself wait.”

Astrid suddenly started sobbing, dropping her head to Sirius’ shoulder.

“I know, sweetcakes. You’ve probably been carrying the guilt with you. Listen to me, babe. I want you to try. I want you to at least try to build a life without me.”

“We’re not leaving you behind,” said Remus, angrily. “No. Absolutely not. If we’re doing this, you’re part of it.”

“Remus is right. You may be here, but I love you. Always have and always will. I love you, I love Remus. I love you both at the same time. I love you both because i’ve given both of you different parts of me. It will take time for me to get used to it, to be able to do this without feeling like I’m betraying one or the other. But I love you, Sirius. Don’t ask me to let go of that because I also love our best friend.”

Sirius was quiet, looking at her like he was trying to take in her face. 

“You’re too good for me,” he said, quietly.

The three sat in silence, unaware that their small private chat had been overheard by someone else, who was now quietly plotting.

* * *

  
  


Seren and Elaine were quietly murmuring to each other when they heard their names being called in the distance.

“Hello ladies,” said Fred and George in unison, grinning a little too unnaturally.

“Hello Weasleys,” said Seren and Elaine in unison, though less enthusiastically.

“Why Gred,” said Fred. “I do believe that these lovely birds aren’t happy to see us!”

“But why would that be, Forge?” said George, grinning as he threw his arm around Elaine’s shoulder.

“Why indeed, Gred,” said Fred, resting his elbow on Seren’s head like she was a armrest. “Why wouldn’t girls want to talk to the two fittest blokes in our year.”

“I do believe that the position you refer to belongs to Cedric Diggory,” said Elaine, with a roll of her eyes.

“That Hufflepuff!” said Fred dramatically. “Tell me it isn’t true Seren! You think we’re fit right?”

Seren raised an unimpressed eyebrow at Fred, who was grinning cheekily at her.

“I’m pretty sure that Adrian came in second to Cedric,” said Seren, with a sweet innocent smile.

“A Sytherin fitter than us?” said George, his hand over his heart dramatically, making a couple Gryffindor girls in their year giggle as they passed the odd group.

“But in all seriousness,” said Seren, with a flip of her hair. “Cedric is definitely considered the fittest by the female population. I believe there was a poll of some sort by his fan group.”

“But what about you two? Who did you vote for?”

“Snape,” they said in unison, smirking at the groans of disgust from the twins.

“Jokes aside,” said Elaine. “What do you two want? You do realize we have better things to do, correct?”

“Better things to do?” gasped Fred, “Gred, what could possibly be better than hanging out with us?”

“Oh dear Merlin, have mercy on us,” mumbled Seren, making Elaine smirk.

“So where are you two off to anyway?” asked George curiously.

“The Library,” said Elaine, calmly.

“Boring,” sang Fred. “Come on, we’ll show you something cool! Way more interesting than the library!”

Elaine and Seren exchanged a confused glance. Why were these two so interested in them?

“That would depend on what you want to show us,” said Elaine, a vaguely flirtatious smirk forming on her face.

Seren snorted at the way that George tripped over his feet for a minute.

Regardless, the two followed them into an abandoned corridor.

“Terribly sorry about this,love,” said Fred with a wink at Seren, and then she was pushed ahead with Elaine, and for a moment, they both flailed.

They managed to right themselves, but their vision was immediately cut off by a green and disgusting goop that immediately fell on their heads.

Fred and George were sniggering to themselves and Seren looking up, rubbing the goop off of her eyes.

“You really shouldn’t have done that,” she said, calmly like the calm before a storm.

“You really, really shouldn’t have,” said Elaine, glaring at them.

“Oh come on, lovelies,” said George with a grin. “It’s all a bit of fun.”

“You do realize that this merely tells us one thing, boys,” said Seren, and the goop vanished with a quick flick of her wand.

“I do hope you’re used to looking over your shoulders,” said Elaine, her hand draping over Seren.

“Please,” said Fred, with a wave of his hand. “You’re too rule abiding for that.”

“Apparently you didn’t do your research all that well,” said Elaine with a smirk.

“Considering it’s been weeks and the Ravenclaw Pranksters, as you so wonderfully named them, have been running circles around you the entire time.”

The twins stared at them for a minute before realization dawned on their faces.

“You tricked us,” said George angrily. “You lied!”

“We did tell you that we didn’t want to get found,” said Elaine with a smirk, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “But you didn’t listen.”

“I suppose this means that you’ve initiated a prank war,” said Seren with a smirk. “You’re against two girls who have the blood of pranksters in their veins. We’re literally legacy.”

“We’ve got prankster blood too,” said Fred, angrily. “I guess this means we’re enemies then.”

“Don’t think we’re going to go easy on you two because you’re pretty,” said George, with a glare, both the boys straightening up.

“Oh,” said Elaine with an outright foxy grin. “We’re counting on it.”

“Let the war begin,” said Seren with a sweet smile, her eyes glimmering in amusement and excitement.


End file.
